Escape
by QueenJennifer
Summary: [COMPLETE] Quistis travels to Dollet looking for peace... and finds more than she bargained for...
1. Squall: The Breakfast of Champions

Author's Note:

Hi everyone! This is my first fanfic. I hope you enjoy it! Comments are always appreciated.

_Final Fantasy and its characters are (c) SQUARE._

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**Chapter One: Squall: The Breakfast of Champions**

"Here's the last of them, Cid." Quistis dropped a huge stack of paperwork on his desk. She rubbed her reddened arms.

"Thank you, Quistis." Cid replied. "I really appreciate it. And I'm sure Squall does, too. You know... it's amazing. He's always been so stern and silent... as if he were iron." He paused and began to snicker a little. "But even the one who helped to defeat Ultimecia can't stand against Mother Nature."

Quistis raised an eyebrow. "I hardly think it's a laughing matter." She said evenly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you're right." Cid scratched his chin. "Well, I'm sure Rinoa'll have him back to normal in no time."

-At that very moment...-

"You remind me of a spoon, sitting in all of this oatmeal." Rinoa peered down at a rather unenthused Squall.

"Gee... thanks." He replied with a small scowl.

"You're welcome." She grinned and poked his cheek. "I still can't believe you've never had the chicken pox before." She thought for a moment. "Actually, I'm surprised you weren't vaccinated for it at the orphanage. Selphie and Quistis were."

Squall looked down into the soupy bathwater as a blush crept across his face. "... I hate needles..." He said quietly.

Rinoa smirked. "It's a good thing you've got me, then."

Squall looked up and smiled. "It is."

-Meanwhile...-

Quistis made her way back to her room. After staying up to finish grading tests, homework, putting together her classes' next assignment, _and_ Squall's paperwork, _and_ teaching three classes on top of that, Quistis was thoroughly exhausted. She was miraculously able to spur herself on with the manta "Nice, cosy bed" playing over and over in her mind. It seemed to be working. That is, until...

"QUISTY!!!" An emerald-eyed whirlwind ran up and glomped her.

"Nice, cozy bed..." Quistis mumbled out of a mixture of lack of sleep and confusion.

"Wha...?" The yellow-clad girl released her iron grip on the taller woman. "Gee, Quisty, you look terrible!"

"Why thank you for noticing, Selphie," Quistis replied sarcastically.

"I order you to march yourself right to bed! I won't take no for an answer!"

Quistis nodded. "I'll do that."

A few moments later, she was greeted yet again.

"Wooooaaaaah, Quisty! What the heck happened to you?" A short, blonde man cried.

"...It's called two hours of sleep, Zell."

"Well, you should go take a nap or something."

"That's a brilliant idea." Quistis replied in a monotone voice.

"That's what I'm here for." replied Zell with a grin.

For the rest of the way, Quistis mustered up her remaining strength and sprinted to her room. Upon reaching her destination, she slammed the door behind her and shouted, "FREEDOM!"

Suddenly, there was a knock at her door. "Quisty! You should be sleeping!" Selphie called from the other side. Upon hearing this, Quistis fell over.

-In another room...-

"Would you quit smelling my head?!" Squall cried with exasperation.

"I'm sorry... Mmmm..."

"Rin..." Squall whined.

"Okay, okay. Just hold still then." She finished spreading chamomile lotion over his arms. "There."

Immediately, Squall attempted to scratch at an offending spot, but Rinoa grabbed his arm before he could. "I was afraid it would come to this..."

"No, no! I promise I won't try again! Please?" He tried his best puppy dog expression.

"Sorry, that's not going to work this time."

"But, but! I'll do anything... ANYTHING! Just don't make me wear those!"

A few moments later, Squall was clad in light blue mittens and booties. He scowled at Rinoa, who tried hard to hold back a fit of giggles. Squall looked more adorable than ever with his fuzzy apparel, lotion-spotted skin, messy hair and half-hearted deathglare.

"Why don't you take a nap? Then you won't think about itching."

"I'm not tired." Squall replied, crossing his arms.

Rinoa brushed a few stray frosted brown bangs away from his grey-blue eyes. "Go to sleep." She commanded soothingly.

Squall obediently scooted under his covers and closed his eyes.

Rinoa kissed the top of his head. "I love you, Oatmeal Boy."

Squall opened an eye and a slight scowl lit his face. Rinoa laughed quietly and blew him a kiss as she left the room. A smile now took the place of the scowl as the spotted bishounen drifted off to sleep.


	2. To Find Peace

**Chapter Two: To Find Peace**

A few days had passed and while Squall was steadily getting better, Quistis was beginning to resemble a zombie. She had dark circles etched under her eyes and her skin was ghostly pale. She ambled down one of Balamb Garden's pathways trying to remember where she was supposed to be at this particular time of the day.

_Will Quistis Trepe please report to my office immediately._

For once, the loudspeaker was a welcome noise. Quistis thought that perhaps she had meant to visit Cid and had just forgotten. At any rate, it solved the problem of walking around aimlessly.

"Ah, Quistis, my Dear," Cid greeted her as she stumbled through the door. "Please, have a seat." Quistis did as she was told. She let her gaze fall on the mahogany desk in front of her. Somehow, it was soothing just to stare at it. The calming effect was suddenly interrupted when Cid placed a stack of papers in front of her. "I hate to impose, but... would you mind filling these out?"

Quistis stared at the massive pile. This had to be a bad dream. She was going to wake up any moment now... wasn't she? She pinched her arm.

"Damn..." She muttered.

"Pardon?" Cid asked.

"Uh... I said... I..." Quistis sighed. "I suppose I-"

"Quistis, Dear! How nice to see you this morning." Matron appeared from an adjacent room and took a seat next to Quistis. "Dear child... Are you feeling all right? You look whiter than a sheet." She put a hand on Quistis's forehead. For a moment, it reminded both of them of their days at the orphanage.

"I'm fine, Matron." Quistis lied.

"Oh, pish posh. Now I want you to go straight back to bed and don't get up until you're good and rested."

Cid and Quistis looked at the paperwork. "But-"They began in unison.

"No arguments." Matron continued. "Now don't worry about a thing, Quisty. Cid will take care of these papers. Off to bed with you, now."

A smile burst from Quistis's lips. "Yes, Matron. Thank you!" She bowed and then dashed through the doors.

Matron turned and gave her husband a questioning look. "Why would you give all this extra work to Quistis only? What about the others? They're incapable of helping out?"

Cid sunk lower in his seat. "Well... actually... yes. If I gave the paperwork to Selphie, it would come back filled with extra doodles and hearts dotting every 'I'. If I gave it to Zell, there would be mustard and ketchup over everything. If I gave it to Irvine, it would disappear off the face of Gaia, and poor Rinoa's already got her hands full with Squall. So you see, Quistis is the only one capable."

Matron shook her head. "The poor dear. She's been working so hard. When's the last time she's had a vacation?"

Cid fingers flew across the computer keyboard in front of him. He stopped and scratched his head. "Apparently... she's never used any of her vacation time."

Matron smiled. "Well, then, perhaps it's time she did."

-Meanwhile...-

Rinoa was trying hard not to laugh... and failing miserably.

"If you'd just let me take these ridiculous things off, I could actually eat." Squall growled.

"Not a chance." Rinoa replied.

Suddenly, a smirk crept across Squall's face. "Well then... You could feed me."

"I do enough for you already. But... I'm sure Selphie or Zell would be glad to help..." Rinoa returned with a smirk of her own.

Squall's expression darkened. "Not funny..."

Rinoa poked his nose. "Just eat."

Squall gripped the sandwich with two hands and slowly began to take a few bites.

"Very good," Said Rinoa as she patted him on the head. Squall frowned a little, but continued to eat. Rinoa glanced at the clock. Dr. Kadowaki said she'd have more lotion for Squall ready for pickup at this time. Still, it was hard to tear herself away from the hilarious yet cute scene in front of her. She wrapped her arms around Squall's waist from behind and nuzzled his hair. "I'm going to the Infirmary. I'll be back in a little while. Mmm... I should sprinkle cinnamon on your head." She released him and began to walk out of the room.

"What's with this new obsession over oatmeal? I thought you hated the stuff." Squall asked.

"Hmm... can't say." Replied Rinoa with a wink.

-A few hours later...-

Quistis sat up in bed and stretched her arms high over her head. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept so well. She felt completely rested. Suddenly, the phone rang. Quistis easily recognized the number on the caller ID.

"Noooo... I'm still sleeping..." She whined as she buried her head under her pillow. The phone didn't seem to want to listen. Reluctantly, she picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Quistis, Dear, Cid and I would like to have a word with you. Would you mind meeting us in a few minutes?"

"Oh, of course not, Matron. I'll be right there."

"Thank you, Dear. Goodbye."

"Bye." Quistis returned the phone and smoothed out her hair. _I hope Matron didn't change her mind about the paperwork_, she thought. After fixing the rest of her ensemble, she made her way to the office.

She arrived in front of the office doors a few minutes later, but was hesitant to go inside. She didn't know if she could handle the immense workload any longer. She was still contemplating her entrance when the doors opened.

"Oh, Quistis. I didn't even hear you knock. I must really be getting old." Matron said with a warm smile.

"Oh, no no... I was just _about_ to knock actually..." Quistis cleared her throat and braced herself for the worst. "So... you wanted to see me?..."

"Ah, yes." Cid replied. "Have a seat."

Quistis sat down and began wringing her hands slightly. _Please don't say it, please don't say it..._ She thought.

"Quistis," Cid continued. "It seems you've never used any of your vacation time."

Quistis looked a little puzzled for a moment. "Oh... y-yes, that's correct." She said.

"But Dear... Surely, you want to take a break once in a while, don't you?" Matron asked.

"Yes... I would... But, vacations tend to be more stressful than relaxing for me. I took a weekend trip last year and spent practically the entire time answering phone calls and emails from my friends. I never got a moment to myself. I hate to say it, but I've gotten more time to relax while on missions."

"Why... What an excellent idea, my Dear." Said Matron.

Quistis's eyes went wide. "A mission? Now?"

"No, no, don't worry." Matron reassured her. "Only a pretend mission. A one-man job... or in this case, one-woman. The details of which will be classified as top secret." She winked at Cid. "All contact will be made only between the acting headmaster," she gestured to Cid, "and our SeeD." She gestured towards Quistis.

"Oooohhh..." said Quistis, catching on. A smile was starting to form on her lips. "So... No one else can try to contact me."

"Precisely."

"And... no one else will know where I am..."

"Correct."

Quistis got up and hugged Matron. "Oh thank you, thank you! This is what I've always wanted! I mean... I love all my friends, but... you're right. Everyone needs a break once in a while."

"Especially someone who works as hard as you do," Cid added.

"I'll go start packing right away! When do I leave?" Quistis bubbled with rare enthusiasm.

"Whenever you like." Cid replied.

"Tomorrow morning, 6:30 AM sharp! No one's ever up that early on a Saturday."

"And is there anywhere in particular you'd like to go?" Matron asked.

Quistis thought for a moment. "Acutally... I'd like to see Dollet. I've heard all about its massive reconstruction. It sounds quite impressive."

Cid nodded. "True. Some say in time its technical advancements may rival that of Esthar... though... I doubt it. But that sounds like an excellent destination."

"Cid and I have been meaning to visit as well, so you'll have to tell us all about it when you get back." Matron added. "Now off with you. Cid and I will arrange everything."

After saying goodbye, Quistis bolted out of the office and back to her room where she began to pack and daydream of what might await her in Dollet. Of course, nothing she thought of ever came close to what she would really find.


	3. Quistis Who?

Author's Note:

I STILL do not own _Final Fantasy_ or any of its characters! Are you shocked?! So am I... ;p

Special thanks to Angry Angel!!! Thank you for being my first reviewer ever, Jen! It made me so happy!! And thank you to Lolo for being my spiffy beta reader (and catching my weirdo sentences)!!

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**Chapter Three: Quistis Who?**

Quistis gazed out the train window and watched the surroundings whiz by. She checked her watch. Any moment now, her friends would be entering the cafeteria. Zell would order his "Breakfast Dogs," which were actually sausage links on mini hot dog buns, Selphie would be chatting up a storm in between sugary cereal bites, and Irvine would interject a word every now and then... with his mouth full of pancakes and bacon. Had Quistis been there, she would probably order her usual small bowl of cereal and toast and spend the entire time nodding and listening quietly. She usually had too many lists of things to do running in her head to interject anything of value into the conversation. Quistis frowned at the thought.

_Am I really _that _dull? _She sighed. A nearby magazine caught her eye. On the cover was a young blonde woman who seemed to be carefree and full of life. _I could be like that...really... _As she thought about it, her eyes filled with determination. _Yes! I can and WILL be just like her! That's right! Instructor Quistis Trepe is gone for now! As soon as I reach Dollet, I'll be Quisty, the happy-go-lucky, not-a-dull-bone-in-her-body woman! Yes... that's EXACTLY WHAT I'LL DO! It's BRILLIANT! BRILLIANT I TELL YOU! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!_

Quistis glanced over to her left and noticed a few people staring at her. "Eheheh... the scenery is so beautiful, isn't it?" Quistis said sheepishly.

-Meanwhile...-

"But, but... She's never gone on a mission and not told us before," Selphie said dejectedly.

"There was no time," Cid replied.

"But where did she go and when is she coming back?" Zell interjected.

"Can we call her? Ooohh... I miss her already!" Selphie continued.

"Quisty's on a mission?" Irvine asked, rejoining the real world after zoning out for a moment.

Zell and Selphie turned and looked at him with curious expressions. "........"

"Uh... I knew that, I mean... uhh..." Irvine tried to explain. "Nevermind..." He said as he lowered his hat over his reddened face.

"Now I know you're all worried about Quistis," said Matron. "But I assure you she'll be just fine."

-And in another part of Balamb Garden-

"......"

"Heh heh... My turn," Rinoa said as she took the controller from Squall's grasp.

"...I was so close to beating her third form!" Squall whined.

"You weren't supposed to cure their zombie status yet." Rinoa said matter-of-factly.

"Well... I blame Tidus." Squall continued, crossing his arms. "I mean... what's with that lame attack where he runs around slashing people? Like anyone would ever do that in real life..."

Rinoa rolled her eyes and pressed the reset button. "Just watch..."

-Later...-

Quistis made it to her hotel room and set her suitcase down on her bed. She opened it and frowned at what she saw. There were six of the same peach outfit stuffed inside.

"Well... this won't do at all." Quistis said to no one in particular. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet. Inside was her rarely-been-used credit card. A twisted grin crept across her face.

A few minutes later, she was walking down the main street, glancing around at the new face of Dollet. Upbeat music hummed from speakers and bright flowers lined the sidewalks and shop window boxes. Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves at nearby sidewalk cafes. It looked completely different from the last time she had visited. Finally, Quistis stopped in front of an interesting shop and decided to look inside.

An hour later, Quistis came out with a single bag. Inside was a blue-green halter top, a pair of dark denim shorts, and a modest pair of black flip flops. Quistis frowned as she looked at the bag's contents.

_Not exactly the effect I wanted to achieve... Maybe I just need to try a little harder... _

She looked down at her normal peach outfit and then slapped her forehead.

_Of course! No wonder I couldn't find anything!_

She ran back to her hotel room and changed into her new outfit. She glanced at herself in the mirror and nodded approvingly before heading back out into town again. Of course, even this slight change needed some getting used to. Quistis had never worn flip flops before and she found herself having to curl her toes slightly as she walked. Every so often, she'd check to make sure the halter top was tied tightly and would pull at her shorts to make sure they didn't expose too much of her legs. In short... she was quite a strange sight.

A few blocks down there was a store called "Designique." It was much larger than any of the other stores and boasted a beautiful stone walkway and miniature garden at its entrance. Quistis was sure she'd find something in such a large and lovely place.

Inside, people were bustling up and down the three floors, carrying armloads of bags with them. Quistis boarded one of the high-speed elevators and began to browse the second floor. A sea of colors and fabric spread out before her. Quistis had never seen so many different kinds of clothing in her life.

"...Wow..." she breathed.

She had only taken a few steps when ...

"There she is! MISS! PLEASE, WAIT!"

Quistis turned around and stared wide-eyed at what was coming her way. A barrage of people carrying balloons and a big sign ran up to meet her.

"Congratulations, Miss!" Said the man leading them. "You are Designique's millionth customer!" With that, the rest of the crowd began cheering, tossing streamers and releasing balloons.

Quistis was so surprised, she couldn't force any words out of her mouth. "I... I..."

"Would you like to hear what you've won?" The man continued with a huge grin. Quistis nodded. "You have won a shopping spree, complete with your own personal assistant to help you choose your purchases! Congratulations and remember, at Designique, our designs are just as unique as our customers!" The crowed cheered a final time then dispersed as quickly as they had come. "Here's your gift card," said the man. "Your personal assistant will be here in just a moment." He turned away for a moment and spoke into a walkie talkie. "I need a personal assistant... quick... What?... Well, I don't care, just get me someone... anyone!"

While she waited, Quistis looked at the shiny gift card. She had never gotten one for clothing before. It had always been ones for bookstores or weapons shops where she could get accessories for Save the Queen, her trusty whip.

"Aha, here we are!" Cried the man, breaking Quistis out of her trance.

Quistis turned around and let out a small gasp. "Seif-"

"Oh nononono, don't worry!" The man interrupted. "He just _looks_ like him. Besides, no one has heard of that scoundrel for awhile. So I'll be going now, happy shopping!" The man consulted his walkie talkie again as he dashed off.

Quistis blushed. "Allow me to apologize." She began.

"Don't worry about it." The assistant replied. He was tall and had short blonde hair with a few tiny wisps of bangs falling slightly forward. His eyes were the same emerald color and his skin the same golden as a certain knight Quistis and her friends had helped to defeat not so long ago. There was only one difference. Seifer Almasy had a distinct scar running across his forehead and this man had none. "Uhmm... Miss?"

"Wha... OH! Oh... please excuse me." Quistis replied embarrassedly. "I think I left my mind on the train." She paused for a moment. "I'm Quistis." She said with a smile.

The assistant smiled slightly. "Alexander." He replied with a nod. "So, Miss Quistis, where would you like to try first?"

The next few hours were interesting, to say the least.

"Uh... Quistis... Wouldn't you rather try that section over there. This is generally where our...uhmm... elder customers shop."

"Oooh... of course. I knew that... I was just making sure I didn't miss a thing...heh...heh..."

"Might I suggest this outfit?"

"Oh, well... it's lovely, but... I-Isn't it a little short?"

"It just looks that way on the hanger. Some of these clothes can be deceiving."

"Oh... okay..."

"I'll add it to the list..."

"...What?..."

"I said I'll add it to your cart."

"Oh...okay..."

Quistis and her shopping assistant had been all over the entire second floor and now entered the dressing room, trailing a mountain of clothes behind them. After her assistant unlocked one of the large stalls, he hung six of the outfits on one of the hangers and allowed Quistis to enter and lock the door. While he waited, he took a seat in a nearby chair.

_Damn... Who knew one woman could take so damn long to shop. Whew... And leave it to me to pick the one dressing room with the finicky air conditioning. Crap... I'm sweating buckets._ He absentmindedly took out the handkerchief in his pocket and wiped his forehead.

The stall door's lock clicked and Quistis opened the door. "Well, what do you thi-" She stopped short and gasped. Before she could say anything else, she heard footsteps coming. She grabbed her assistant by the arm and quickly pulled him into the stall with her, then shut the door closed.

"Alexander? Are you in here?" Asked a woman's voice.

"Yes, ma'am." He replied.

"Where's your customer?" She asked in a suspicious tone.

"I'm here." Quistis replied. "I needed some help with my dress's zipper."

"Very well. Enjoy the rest of your day here at Designique." The woman replied cheerily.

Quistis listened carefully as the footsteps disappeared. Then she turned towards the man next to her. "Seifer..." She whispered.

"Alexander." He corrected.

Quistis shook her head. "No... Seifer..." She pointed towards the narrow mirror at the back of the stall.

Seifer stepped closer to the mirror and touched the spot where his trademark scar now showed. "...Damn... I know better than that..." He slowly turned around and looked at Quistis. She could see something alien in his eyes. It caused them to turn a fiery goldish-green.

_Fear..._

"Please, Quistis." Seifer whispered. "I know I'm not exactly your favorite person in the world, but please, you can't tell anyone it's me. This is the only job I've been able to get. These people are so busy they don't have time to run background checks and they're too dumb to realize there's a reason I look so much like 'The World's Most Hated Man'. Please, Quistis."

Quistis was stunned. Not only had she just been reunited with the man who tried to kill her and her friends, but now he was seemingly pleading with Quistis. The man who was thought to be one of the most ruthless and cold-hearted people in all of Gaia looked like he was close to tears. It was simply unthinkable.

"...Quistis?"

Snapping back to reality, Quistis dug into her purse. Seifer inched back, thinking she was going to pull out a can of mace, but instead...

...she pulled out a stick of concealer.

"Hold still," she commanded softly. Seifer bent down a little as Quistis dabbed concealer over the area where his scar showed. "There..."

Seifer checked his reflection. "...It's perfect." He looked back at Quistis. "Thanks."

Quistis didn't even look at him. "Here." She held out the stick. "I never use it, anyway."

Seifer nodded and took the small tube. He let his gaze fall on the ground as he scratched the back of his neck. "If you'd like... I can get someone else to assist you."

Quistis stared at him for a moment. He looked like Seifer, sounded like Seifer, but his demeanor was nothing like the Seifer she remembered. He seemed so much more docile. Part of her was amazed at such a change, and part of her was curious about how he had come to be this way.

"Uh...That's all right." Quistis replied. "You've been an excellent help to me."

Now it was Seifer's turn to stare. "...You sure?"

Quistis nodded. "Now if you don't mind..."

"Oh, right... sorry..." Seifer left the stall and closed the door behind him.


	4. Curiouser and Curiouser

Author's Note:

How doth the little chocobo improve each shining feather? And for a moment contemplate the Calm Lands's peaceful weather? ... Yes, actually, I am on crack. And that is why I do not own _Final Fantasy _or any of its characters.

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**Chapter Four: Curiouser and Curiouser**

Quistis's hotel room closet was now bursting at the seams with new outfits. But just as her closest was swimming with clothes, her head was swimming with questions... which made it impossible to sleep.

_What happened to him? He's changed so much... It's almost like he's a completely different person. I... want to ask him so many things._

She shook her head.

_Why should I even care?! After all, he almost killed my friends! ...And me!... Then again, he _was_ under Ultimecia's control... Like Matron..._

She rolled over onto her other side.

_He looked so scared... Something must have happened to him... Maybe I'll... No, no, no! Quistis! This is supposed to be a vacation! You don't try to piece together ex-sorceress knights' pasts while on vacation! You're supposed to go club hopping and go to the spa and... all those other things I hate to do..._

Quistis groaned.

After what seemed like an eternity of arguing with herself, she began to drift to sleep. Just before she did, she made up her mind.

_I'll go see him again._

-The Next Day...-

"I'm soOOOoo bored!" Selphie whined as she sat in Irvine's lap.

"Me tooOOooo..." Zell echoed. "I wish there was something to do."

_It's the same thing every few minutes! _Irvine thought. _Now that Quistis isn't around, it's like these two can't come up with anything on their own... They're driving me insane..._

"I MISS QUISTIS!!!" Irvine cried.

"WE DO, TOO!!!" Cried a suddenly-gathering mob of Trepies.

"...That's... just... freaky..." Zell said.

"....Yikes..." Agreed Selphie.

"Damn... I wish I had a following that huge..." Breathed Irvine.

"WHAT?!?!" Selphie screeched.

"Uh...heh...heh... I m-meant... It's a good thing I have you, darlin'! I don't know what I'd do without you!"

"Awww... Irvy..." She immediately glomped the cowboy.

"...Be still my stomach..." Zell groaned.

-Meanwhile...-

_What's wrong with me... It feels like my stomach's in knots._ Quistis walked almost cautiously towards Designique. Before long, she had reached the front walk. She stared at the doors. ..._Should...I...? I should... No, no... Why am I even here? I... This isn't like me at all! It's just... I can't think of anything better to do... Yeah, that's it... That and my analytical brain... I _could_ go pick up a newspaper and find something else to do... But... Then again... I want to know... Ugh... There must be something wrong with me..._

"Something wrong?"

Qustis's head whipped to the right. "Oh, Seif-"

Seifer immediately covered Quistis's mouth. His eyes were slightly wide. He released his hand slowly.

"I mean... Alexander..." She said sheepishly.

"Did you forget to buy something yesterday?" He asked with a surprised look on his face.

"Oh... no... I... uh..." Quistis began. She cursed herself inwardly for sounding so flustered. "Actually," She continued after quickly collecting her thoughts. "I was looking for you."

Seifer raised an eyebrow. "...You were?..."

Quistis nodded. "I... wanted to invite you to have lunch with me." She continued. "Uh, to thank you for your help yesterday."

One of Seifer's infamous smirks began to spread across his face. "Well, this is a first. None of the other people I've assisted have invited me to lunch. I'm honored, Instructor."

Quistis frowned. "It's 'Quistis'..."

"Aww, but 'Instructor' just rolls of the tongue so nicely."

"So does a certain other name, Sssss..."

"Okay! Okay... Quistis....ssssss..."

Quistis narrowed her eyes. _What the hell was I thinking..._

"Aww, c'mon, Quis. You don't have to be upset. It's my day off anyway. I'll go to lunch with you." He locked his arm with hers and began to lead her down the street. Quistis immediately released her arm.

"I'm perfectly capable of walking on my own," she hissed.

"Tch, sorry." Seifer replied sarcastically.

The two walked in silence for most of the way. Before long, Quistis could see a brick building up ahead. She could smell the aroma of tomatoes, basil, and garlic dancing in the air.

"The only reason we're going here," Seifer began, motioning to the source of the wonderful smell, "is because it's the only decent place to eat around here. So... don't read too much into it... okay?"

Quistis raised an eyebrow. "Uh... okay..."

The closer they came to the restaurant, the more cautious Seifer became. _Okay... So far so good... We've made it this far, now if we can get through the door without-_

"Alexander! It's my dear Alexander!" A rather stout, older woman ran up to the tall blonde and nearly glomped the life out of him. She released him and then shook a finger at him. "I hardly see you anymore. And just look at you! Skin and bones! You need more meat!" Quistis giggled, catching the woman's attention. "And who is this beautiful young lady?"

"I'm Quistis," she said smiling.

"She's just a friend." Seifer added quickly. Quistis noticed a hint of a blush rising to his cheeks.

"Tch, sure, sure," She replied with a wink. "Well, I'm Mama Capricci. Just call me 'Mama'. Let me show you two 'friends' to your seats."

-Meanwhile...-

"I spy with my little eye... something... brown!" Selphie shrieked happily.

"Irvine..." Zell replied in a monotone voice.

"Hun, it'd help if you picked something different each turn." Irvine added.

"I know... but I have a hard time deciding..." Selphie explained.

"I'm so bored that not even a hot dog would cheer me up." Zell whined.

"Hey! Let's go visit Squally!" Selphie exclaimed as she jumped up and down.

"EW! NO! I don't wanna get chicken pox all over me!" Zell replied.

"...Zell... You're an idiot..." Said Irvine as he pulled his hat over his head. "I'm embarrassed _for_ you..."

"WHAT?!"

"We've already had the chicken pox. We won't catch it again."

"Well!... I... knew that..."

"C'mon!" Selphie cried as she locked her arms with theirs. "To Squally's room we go!"


	5. The Path I Chose

Author's Note:

I do not own _Final Fantasy... _

...It owns me...

* * *

**_Chapter_ Five: The Path I Chose**

Quistis smiled. "'Mama' seems really nice. Have you known her for long?"

Seifer nodded. "I met her the first day I came here."

They both began to nod slowly and look from side to side, each trying to think of something to keep the conversation going without an awkward pause. Finally, Seifer broke the silence.

"So... what brings you out here, Instru- ..er... Quistis?"

"Heh... Would you believe I'm on vacation?"

"Wow! You? Stop working for more than a few minutes? What... Did hell freeze over or something?" He added with a smirk.

Quistis rolled her eyes. "I would have done it sooner... I just didn't have a good excuse to."

Seifer raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of soda. "So what's your good excuse?"

Quistis shrugged. "It was either that or have a total meltdown and shove Squall's extra paperwork..." She stopped. "Heh... sorry, I didn't mean to rant like that..."

"No, no, continue. Shove that paperwork where?" His smirk was growing wider by the second.

Quistis shook her head. _Same old Seifer_.

"But anyway, why are you doing Puberty Boy's paperwork? Don't tell me he's regressed to the point he can't even write anymore."

Quistis snickered at the thought. "No... He's got the chicken pox."

Seifer almost spat out his soda. "Seriously?! ...Oh yeah... That's right... He ran away screaming when I got vaccinated. Tch... Didn't even hurt, either. Serves him right." He began to snicker... then chuckle... then it was all he could do to keep himself from laughing hysterically. Quistis looked at him with a confused expression. "Sorry," he said between laughs. "I... I just pictured Mr. Serious covered in spots... Oh Hyne... AHAHAHAHA!"

It seemed to be contagious, because Quistis began laughing as well. Luckily, Mama came with their orders and they fell silent.

"Well, it certainly sounds like you two are enjoying yourselves. My, my... I haven't seen Alexander smile like that in a long time. Keep up the good work, Quistis. And Alexander.. you make sure she comes with you more often." She winked at Seifer and then left for the kitchen again.

Seifer groaned. "Don't mind her. She gets nosy like that sometimes."

"Awww... She just worries about you." Quistis replied with a smirk of her own. "Now eat up so you can get some meat on those bones."

"Yes, Instructor." Seifer replied with an even larger smirk as he took a bite of his steak. Quistis shook her head at him and took a bite of her lasagna. Seifer watched her for a moment. "Y'know... You should laugh more often." Quistis looked up with a semi-surprised look on her face. "'Cause then you don't look like you eat little children." He added with a smug grin.

"Well you should smile more often." Replied Quistis after finishing another bite. "Then people won't be able to tell you're eternally constipated."

"Oooh... touché."

-Meanwhile...-

"Yoo hoo! Squall! We've come to cheer you up!" Selphie called as she knocked on Squall's door.

"Just a sec," Rinoa called from the other side. She opened the door only to be glomped by Selphie.

"RINNY! I haven't seen you in SUCH a long time!"

"It's good to see you, too." Rinoa said. She peered over her shorter friend's head. _It's... the outside! OUTSIDE! MUST. GET. OUTSIDE!!!_ "Hey... Selphie... Would you mind doing me a really big favor?"

"Sure, anything!"

"Could you watch- errr... keep Squall company for a couple hours? I uh... promised Cid I'd help out with some paperwork."

"Noooo problemo!" Selphie replied with a jump. "Leave everything to us."

"THANK YOU!!!" Rinoa glomped Selphie, then dashed out the door. _YES! YES! OUTSIDE! FREEDOM!!! AHAHAHAHA!!!_

"...R...Rinny?" Squall asked as he sat up in bed and sleepily rubbed an eye.

"Rinny had to go run an errand, but don't worry, WE'LL keep you entertained!" Selphie said gleefully.

"That's right, buddy!" Zell added. "It's just you and us for the next couple hours."

Squall's eye began to twitch violently. "RRRIIINNNOOOAAA!!!"

"Wow... he's whipped, huh?" Zell whispered to Selphie.

"Seriously..." She replied.

-Back in Dollet...-

"Thanks for lunch." Seifer said as they walked out of the restaurant. "...You sure I can't repay you?"

"I told you, it was my treat." Quistis replied.

"Tch, okay, okay." _Hmm... so now what?..._ Seifer thought, never knowing Quistis was thinking the very same thing.

_I guess I could just say goodbye to him here... _

_I kinda... don't want to leave her yet, though..._

"Well, I-"Quistis began.

"Hey!" Seifer quickly interjected. "I don't really have any plans for the rest of the day. How about if I give you the grand tour?" _...What the fuck was that? I sounded like such a moron just now..._

"Uh... sure!" Quistis replied. "Saves me the trouble of looking on a map." _...Wow... So people really do lose some of their intelligence while on vacation._

"This way." Said Seifer as he led Quistis down the street.

-Meanwhile...-

"Okay! It's story time!" Selphie cried.

"...I'm not two..." Squall replied with a scowl.

"You're never too old for stories!" She retorted. "Now shush!" She cleared her throat. "Once upon a time, there was a little, fluffy chocobo."

"Oh, Hyne, not this one!" Zell said, groaning.

"Aww, but 'Fluffy the Fluffy Chocobo' is one of my all time favorite stories!"

"Isn't that the one written by that singer?" Irvine asked.

"No... it's some actor... right?" Zell said.

"You're both wrong. It's written by a former porn star." Squall replied. Zell and Irvine's mouths dropped.

"You guys are impossible!" Selphie cried.

Zell grinned. "Hey, I've got a good body. I could be an author, right?"

Irvine tossed a pillow at his head. "Once again, you're an embarrassment to mankind."

"WHAT?!"

_Rinny... WHY did you leave me with THEM?!_

-Meanwhile...-

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Quistis asked. They had been walking for what seemed like an eternity along a narrow stone path.

"Just a little farther." Seifer replied. "I could carry you if you're getting too tired."

"I'm in better shape than _you_," Quistis replied.

"So what's your secret? Running away from all those Treppies?"

"What? Jealous?"

"Oh yeah, I've always wanted a group of freaks praising me." He began to snicker. "Y'know... Once, when I was still in your class, one of them tried to send me a death threat. Something about 'leave dear, sweet Quistis alone or... or else I'll cream you with my weakling little muscles!'" He threw a flabby punch at the air.

"So did he?"

"Tch, of course not." Finally they reached the top of the path. "We're here."

Quistis looked down at what looked like a run down, tall building. "What's that?"

"That is the best kept secret in all of Dollet. It used to be a communication tower."

"OOoohh... Isn't this where you ran off to during your field exam?"

"Tch, don't look at me like that. It _was_ a good idea, admit it." Seifer replied.

"It _would_ have been, except that you were in the middle of an exam and you deliberately disobeyed orders."

"Yeah, yeah... C'mon, we didn't come all this way just to gawk at it." Seifer led Quistis down the curved path to the entrance of the tower. "This way," he said as he opened the creaky door. They stepped onto the elevator and went up a couple flights. "All right... Over here." They walked down a narrow hallway until they came to a door marked "Emergency Exit." "Right this way," said Seifer as he pushed the door open. Just outside was a dirt road that was probably once used as a service access. It led all the way to the shore.

"Wow..." breathed Quistis as she looked out along the horizon.

"It's even better up close. C'mon."

Before long, they had reached the shore. Quistis kicked off her sandals and walked towards the sand's edge, squishing her toes into the sand as she walked. She breathed in the warm, salty air. "This is incredible!"

Seifer followed suit. "Told ya. It's like my own private beach. People still think there are monsters over here, which of course there haven't been for awhile now. Works out well for me, though." He sat down in the sand and gazed out across the waves.

Quistis sat down beside him. "So where are Fujin and Rajin? I'm surprised I haven't seen them this whole time, knowing how inseparable you three usually are."

"They're in Winhill."

"Oh, really? I would've thought-"

"No, they're there and I'm here. It's no big deal."

_Hmmm... Yeah right... I could always tell when you lied about your homework, and I can tell that you're lying now._ Quistis thought. However, she decided it was best just to drop the subject.

"So... how's the 'Orphanage Gang plus One'?" asked Seifer.

"Same as always... well... except poor Squall..."

Seifer snickered. "Hyne, I've still got that image in my head."

"Squall won't forget so easily, either. Especially since Rinoa took a few pictures of him like that."

"Seriously?!"

Quistis nodded. "She even made him hold a sign. It's hilarious... I'm sure he didn't mind as much as he let on, though. As long as it's for Rinoa..." Her voice trailed off.

"...You still like him, huh?" Seifer said softly.

Quistis shook her head. "No... But I do sort of envy Rinoa. Those two are absolutely perfect for each other. She's quite lucky."

Seifer shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, don't worry, Quis. I'm sure someday some poor loser will take pity and marry you."

Quistis glanced over at him. "Gee, thanks a lot. I feel better already." She said sarcastically.

"Tch, can't get to you." Seifer replied shaking his head. "Seriously, though. You just happen to be around a bunch of puberty boys and freaks. If you get out of Balamb more often, you'll find people who can actually use that little bit of gray matter in between their ears and who knows? Maybe more."

"I don't know..." Said Quistis, smirking. "So far all I've found outside of Balamb is you. Are you sure there are people with brains left in the world?"

"Oooohhh... my poor broken heart." Replied Seifer in a monotone voice as he clutched his chest. He returned his gaze to the horizon line.

"So, why did you come to Dollet?"

"Uh... Well, I couldn't exactly come back to Balamb, so I just decided to come here."

Quistis turned to look at him. "You could have come back to Balamb. You could've at any time. Matron's there. She received a full pardon. You could, too."

_Yeah, right. And be hated for the rest of my life. No one will ever forgive me for what I've done. I learned that the hard way..._ "Well... It's just as well, really. I like my life here."

"Oh I'm sure it's lovely... Checking every so often to make sure your scar is still covered, being called by a different name..."

"Hey! I never said it was perfect!" Said Seifer as he began to rise to his feet. "But y'know what? For _once_ in my life, I'm not looked down upon. People actually _like_ and _respect_ me!"

"Of course they do! You don't act like a jerk here! All of Balamb would have liked and respected you had you not acted so poorly to them!" Quistis shouted as she stood up.

"I know, okay?! I screwed up! I can't take it back, now! That's why I've tried to start over and do things right! Isn't that enough?!"

"I just think you're capable of a _lot_ more, Seifer. _You_ were my brightest student – when you actually cared enough to apply yourself." Seifer's emerald eyes widened a little at this. "The way you picked up on things so quickly was amazing. Had you decided to stick it out, you would have easily excelled Squall in mastery of the gunblade. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. So fine, enjoy your new life and I wish you great happiness with women's clothing!" With that, Quistis stormed off back the way they'd come.

_Oh no you don't, Trepe_. Seifer began to chase after her. "Yeah! That's right! I _will_ be happy with women's clothing! And I hope you enjoy all your little Treppies, because that's as close as you'll ever get to having a real relationship! Everyone else is afraid of frostbite!"

Save the Queen whipped through the air and sent a loud CRACK echoing across the landscape. "Thanks, I'll remember that." She replied with an icy glare. Although, Seifer could still make out a little bit of pain flashing beneath.

_Shit...I'll never learn..._ Seifer watched as Quistis disappeared into the tower. He glanced up at the sky. _I didn't realize it was so late... I should follow her just in case..._


	6. The Truth Revealed

Author's Note:

I don't own _Final Fantasy_, but I love its sexy bishounen anyway...

* * *

**Chapter Six: The Truth Revealed**

"I'm back!" Called Rinoa as she opened the door to Squall's room. She had a couple small shopping bags hidden behind her and quickly slid them behind a nearby piece of furniture.

"THANK HYNE!" Squall cried as he ran up to Rinoa and glomped her.

"Uh... Did you guys have fun?" She asked.

"Lots of fun!" Selphie replied cheerfully.

"...Huh?..." Said Irvine as she yawned and sat up on the couch. "Oh, hey, Rinoa."

"Oh... by the way... You're almost out of food..." Zell added quietly.

"Well, we'll be going now. We should do this again sometime." Said Selphie. Squall shivered at the thought.

"Yeah," continued Zell. "Then I can show you some more moves. Oh... uh... and sorry again for accidentally kicking your shoulder, Squall..."

"See ya, Rinoa. Take care, Squall." Said Irvine as he made his way out the door.

As soon as they had all left, Squall breathed a huge sigh of relief. "NEVER LEAVE ME ALONE WITH THOSE THREE AGAIN!"

"Oh, c'mon Squall," replied Rinoa. "It's not like they tortured you or anything..."

"THEY DID! WITH FLUFFY CHOCOBOS AND ROUNDHOUSE KICKS AND! AND! THE PAIN!"

_Wow... He must really need some sleep..._

-Meanwhile...-

Quistis could hear footsteps behind her. _Is he following me?_ _What more does he want..._ She turned around, then stopped dead in her tracks.

"Y'know, it's not right for such a pretty lady to be all alone. Why don't you come with me? We could have some dinner and for desert... heh... heh..."

Quistis turned around and kept walking. _What a pig..._

"Hey, bitch!" A swift, strong hand grabbed Quistis's arm and twisted it behind her back. "I thought I told you- augh!"

Suddenly, the hand released its grasp and the man landed on the ground nearby.

"You all right?" Seifer asked.

Quistis looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

Meanwhile, the man had managed to pull himself off the ground and onto his feet. "Betcha think you're really somethin', dontcha?" He spat. "Not when I get through with you." He whistled and three burly men ran to his side.

"Awww, did you train them all by yourself?" Seifer replied with a devilish grin.

"That impressive, huh? Just wait and see what they can _really_ do." The man snapped his fingers and the three pulled out carefully concealed gunblades. They were quite thin and not highly-upgraded, but still demanded caution.

_Damn... If I had Hyperion... Guess it's the old fashioned way for now..._ Seifer crouched down a little, waiting for one of them to make a move.

"What the hell?! You're gonna fight unarmed?! AHAHAHA! That's rich..." The man held his large stomach as he laughed.

Save the Queen sang through the air once more. "Mind if I have the first turn?" Quistis asked. Her eyes were burning bright violet, which meant only one thing.

She was royally pissed.

"Ladies first," Seifer replied and stepped out of the way.

"Ha! He's gonna let the chick fight! Gee, you're a real winner, pal. All right, lady. We'll make this quick, okay?" Said one of the men with a gunblade.

"Quick it is." Quistis replied with a nod. With chilling speed, Save the Queen darted past and whipped around the man's throat. The man clutched the whip, but it remained tightly wound. Quistis yanked the whip backward and it released its grasp, sending the man spinning and falling to the ground. "Next?"

The two other men bolted forward, swinging their blades at Quistis. She met them with Save the Queen's sharp tip. They darted out of the way, but Quistis increased her speed every second, whipping at their hands. The men growled through the pain and kept advancing towards her. She caught one by the leg and sent him flying, then hitting the ground on his back.

"And then there was one..." Quistis said coolly. She sent her whip flying at the man and soon he fell near the rest of his friends. "Now for you..." She glared at the heavyset man who had started the whole ordeal. She swung Save the Queen and sent it screaming towards the man's neck.

"STOP!" The man shouted as he cast the spell of the same name. When he saw Quistis's form remain motionless, he breathed for a moment...

...Which was a mistake.

WHAM! Seifer's fists came flying at him. With every second, he became more and more infuriated. The scum in front of him had dared to cast a spell on Quistis and for that, he must pay. The man tried to counter as many of Seifer's blows as possible, but the tall blonde was just too fast for him. Finally, though he was able to get a shot at him. His fist careened straight for Seifer's head, and Seifer pulled away. He wasn't fast enough, though. The man grazed Seifer's forehead and what was covering it.

"HOLY SH... YOU! HEY LOOK! IT'S SEIF-"CRACK!

Save the Queen silenced the man.

Quistis looked around and noticed people starting to look their way. "Let's get out of here." She grabbed one of Seifer's hands while he held his forehead with the other hand and the two of them ran down the street.

They darted in and out of the crowd and finally made their way to the hotel Quistis was staying at. Not wanting to chance the elevator, they raced up two flights of stairs and rounded the corner. They were nearly there when...

WHAM! One of the hallway doors opened, sending Seifer flying backward.

"You lustful young'ns! There's plenty of time for all of that! Mind where you're goin' next time!" Yelled an old woman as she stepped out of her room and hobbled off on her cane.

"Are you okay?!" Quistis cried as knelt by Seifer's side. He remained silent. "Stupid old hag!" Quistis yelled down the hallway. _Damn..._ She carefully bent down and gathered the tall man as best she could, then dragged him the rest of the way to her room.

-Meanwhile...-

"Just look at this!" Cried Cid as he held up a newspaper ad. "Crystal clear beaches, excellent shopping venues, dining, dancing, spas... We should go to Dollet next chance we get."

Matron laughed softly. "You say that about every place someone visits. Last time it was Winhill and it's cozy bed and breakfasts. The time before that it was Fisherman's Horizon."

"Well... I just like to see new places." Cid explained. "It's good to broaden one's horizon."

Matron nodded. "I wonder how Quistis's trip is going..."

-Back in Dollet...-

_Great trip _this_ has turned out to be._ Thought Quistis as she laid Seifer out on her couch. _He's not going to be too happy when he wakes up... I hope that crazy old woman stays away for awhile... for her sake._

Quistis glanced over his body. Apparently, their mad dash hadn't been as clean as she thought. Seifer's shirt was slashed at several places on the right side and there was already a bruise forming near his eye.

_I should clean him up a bit..._ Of course, Quistis realized that in order to do that, she'd have to remove his shirt. _Please don't wake up yet... I'll never hear the end of it otherwise..._ She cautiously slipped the shirt up, lifting his arms and finally slipping it off completely. He stirred a little, but stayed asleep. _Whew..._

Quistis grabbed a facecloth from the bathroom and ran it under warm water. Carefully, she dabbed the cloth across the shallow wounds. She noticed that one of them ran all the way to his back. Carefully, she rolled him onto his side. Her eyes went wide and her hand flew over her mouth, barely depressing a gasp.

There were hundreds of thin slashes etched into his back. They had long since healed, but the scars still shone clearly. A few were thicker than the others and Quistis assumed they must have been much deeper.

_Who did this to you?_

"...Unghh..." Seifer stirred and started to roll onto his back. His eyelids fluttered open and he blinked a few times. "...Quistis?..." As he sat up slowly, he noticed the thin line of tears welling in her eyes. "Hey... What's wrong?..."

"Who did that to you?..."

Seifer finally realized he wasn't wearing his shirt and knew exactly what Quistis was referring to. He scratched the back of his neck. "It happened awhile ago. Don't worry about it."

"Who did that to you?" She persisted.

"...I didn't know them, but they knew me..." He replied softly. Quistis took a seat next to him. "It's all kinda blurry in my mind. All I remember is running as fast as I could. All around me, I could hear creatures shrieking and growling – creatures specifically caught and starved to be released on me. I could feel their warm breath getting closer. I finally lost them, but not before they each gave me a little parting gift." ..._And that's not even the extent of it..._

In truth, there had been many other times. At first, Seifer would fight back using anything he could find lying nearby – brooms, crates, trash cans, even a pair of discarded high heels. But over time, he got so tired of the daily encounters with people hungry to take his life. What really began to scare him were not the increasing number of threats, but the fact that some part of him was beginning to cheer them on, silently hoping one of them would succeed in their mission and end this unending cycle. From that moment, he had no longer felt like Seifer Almasy, but his ghost.

Without looking, Seifer could easily tell where Qustis's gaze fell now.

"These..." He said pointing to the deepest cuts. "Are the reason I left for Dollet. I was fishing with Fuu and Rajin. I remember I was just thinking what a peaceful day it was." He lowered his gaze. "And then someone decided I didn't deserve peace. He gave me these and told me it was repayment for what Ultimecia did to his family. _I_ didn't even touch anyone related to him, but since I was part of Ultimecia's court..." His voice trailed off. "From then on, I was a marked man. I didn't want to put Fuu or Rajin in any more danger, so I left. They still don't know where I am. I didn't want them to try and follow me."

Quistis wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her forehead into his arm. "I'm so sorry..."

"Hey, it's like I said, it happened a long time ago..."

"No. You should never have had to go through any of that. Balamb found Matron and made sure she had a full pardon. We should have done the same for you. Forgive me..."

Seifer could feel her warm tears against his arm. "Hey..." He began softly. He moved her so that her head was resting against his chest. "Shhh... Listen to me. It's not your fault... or anyone else's for that matter. I made sure no one could find me."

"No, no, no." Quistis continued. "I was your instructor. It was my job to-"

"Tch, like I would've listened? You know how hard-headed I was back then. Well... still am kinda..."

Quistis laughed softly into his chest.

"I'm fine, Quis." Seifer whispered as he traced small circles on her back.

She pulled away from him gently and looked into his eyes. "Not until your name is cleared." She lightly traced the scar that ran along his forehead. "Not until your life is restored. Come with me back to Balamb."

Seifer looked away and stood up. "I... can't... Not after what I almost did..."

"They'll forgive you. Just give them a chance. I once thought I never could... but I do. I know they will, too..."

Seifer turned around and looked into her pleading cerulean eyes. "Tch...All right, all right... I'll go... Dry your eyes." He tossed her a small package of Kleenex and Quistis caught it. He shrugged. "Besides... I'm sure that loud mouth has already begun to spread the word. I wouldn't want to be ambushed by a mob with torches and pitchforks at work. They might ruin my suit." He added with a smirk.

Quistis laughed again as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

Just then, Seifer caught sight of the bruise forming by his left eye in a nearby mirror. "Ooohh... That bastard _did_ catch me... Heh... Lucky shot."

"It'll get worse if you don't put something on it. Uhmm... let me see..." Quistis walked over to the phone. "Hello, room service? Yes, this is #27. Could you send up a raw steak? Yes, yes, I'm sure. All right, thank you." She added as she hung up. "Geez.. You try to get something as simple as a raw steak and they act like you don't know what you're talking about. Some service."

"Not many people specifically order raw steak." Said Seifer resuming his seat.

"Even so... Oh!" She dialed the phone again. "Hello? This is room #27 again. ...Yes, the one with the raw steak." She rolled her eyes. "Listen, could you add two dinners to the list –er... the order? Yes... okay... Thank you."

Seifer half smirked, half smiled at her.

"Don't look at me like that... I just don't think you're fit to be seen right now..." She added with a playful grin.

"Right... You just want me all for yourself... Admit it."

"Oh yeah... That black eye is so sexy."

Seifer gently touched the bruised spot. "Man... Puberty Boy's gonna have a good laugh at this..."

"Why?" Asked Quistis as she sat down beside him. "After all, you did save me."

"Yeah... from some weird, little fat man..."

"One little man?... Why... I thought there were at least ten, big, burly rouges..." She replied with a wink.

"Heh... I like the way you think, Quistis..."


	7. The Hardest Journey

Author's Note:

Many thanks to Angry Angel, Jean-chan and Lady Pyrefly for their lovely comments! I'm so happy you guys like my story! Lol, and I'm happy you picked up on the FFX part, Lady Pyrefly! I was actually playing that part around the time I wrote this chapter, so I thought I'd add it in. I love that game.

I still do not own _Final Fantasy_ or any of its characters... I just have a strange obsession with trying to recreate some of their outfits... muahaha...

* * *

**Chapter Seven: The Hardest Journey**

A pesky ray of sunlight crept through the blinds and pulled at Seifer's eyelids. _Nnnngghh... I wanna sleeeep_. He whined in his thoughts. He tossed and turned, but the sun kept persisting, until finally Seifer sat up. He stretched his arms high overhead as he let out a yawn. It hadn't been his best night's sleep, but the small couch in Quistis's hotel room was still fairly comfortable. He rubbed his good eye and glanced over at Quistis's sleeping form.

_She looks like an angel. _He thought. ..._Oh no you don't, Almasy. Only losers fall for their instructors. _He crept soundlessly to her bedside. Her golden hair was spread out behind her and the early morning sun highlighted her beautiful face. Seifer shrugged. _I'm a loser._ He thought to himself with a smile. He glanced on her nightstand and noticed her traditional hairclip. He picked it up and glared at it. _Hmmm.._. Without hesitation, he slid it under the chest of drawers with a devilish grin.

After calling room service and ordering two breakfasts, he sat back on the couch and rubbed his hands together. _I wonder what it'll be like. I _was_ getting tired of that clothing store anyway... and it _would_ be nice to have Hyperion back..._ He chuckled to himself. _I can see the look on Puberty Boy's face now..._

A soft knock on the door broke his thoughts. As quietly as possible, he wheeled the food cart into the room, silently cursing the one squeaky wheel.

"...Seifer?..." Quistis yawned as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Morning," he greeted her. "Breakfast is served." He took a long napkin and draped it over his arm as he'd seen waiters do, then took one of the trays of food and presented it to Quistis. "Your entrée, mademoiselle."

"Thanks," she laughed.

"Told ya I'd repay you." Seifer added with a grin. He took his tray and sat back on the couch. "Mmm... not bad..." He said in between bites. "So... what's our plan of action?"

"Well," said Quistis, swallowing. "I'll buy another ticket, the train will leave around seven o'clock, and we'll be in Balamb in no time."

"Would you mind if I said goodbye to someone before we go?"

"Sure," Quistis replied, knowing fully well who he meant. She began to gather her hair with one hand and reached for her hair clip with the other, but could only feel the table's surface. "That's strange..." She slid out of bed and grabbed another from her suitcase.

"...You packed an extra hairclip...?"

Quistis nodded. "Three actually. It's always best to be prepared."

-Meanwhile...-

_It's 6:20 AM on the dot... There's no one in sight... I can smell that sweet aroma now... Mmmm... they shall soon be mine... MUAHAHAHAHAHA!_

"Zell, honey... You're fogging up the glass. Just wait a few more minutes, okay?" Said one of the cafeteria ladies.

"...Heh... Yes, ma'am..." He replied as he scratched the back of his neck embarrassedly. Then he gazed intently at the sausage links. _You shall soon be MINE! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!_

-A few minutes later...-

"Are you sure she's up?" Quistis asked as she walked up beside Seifer.

He nodded. "She's always up early."

Sure enough, Mama was walking around in her kitchen. She caught sight of Seifer even before he knocked and came sprinting to the door. "Get inside, quickly!" She ordered both of them. She locked the door behind her and ushered the two into the back room.

"They know," She said as she put a hand on Seifer's shoulder and shook her head sadly. "They know it's you, honey."

"But then... You knew...?" Quistis began.

Mama nodded. "I found Seifer early one morning. The poor kiddo was really beat up. So, I helped him up and took him home with me. Once I cleaned him up a little, I recognized who he was. I wasn't afraid, though. Ultimecia wasn't the first of her kind, and her knights weren't the first to get suckered into such a bad deal. My uncle had also been a sorceress knight, and had been persecuted for it. Unfortunately, I knew that not everyone around here would feel the same way I do." She smiled a little. "So, that's when I taught Seifer the way to apply makeup. I never had a daughter I could teach how, so it worked out well for me, wouldn't you say?" She chuckled a little.

"So... why 'Alexander'?" Quistis asked.

"Alexander was my uncle's name," Mama replied with a smile. "My little way of avenging him I guess." Her expression darkened. "But I didn't keep you safe all this time for nothing. You can't stay here, Seifer."

"Actually, that's what I came to tell you," Seifer replied. "I've decided to go back to Balamb Garden."

Quistis nodded. "I'll do whatever it takes to make sure he's pardoned."

"Well, if you need another person to vouch for him, I'll gladly put my two cents in." Said Mama. "He may look like a tough guy, but he's all soft." She gave him a big hug. "I'm gonna miss you, kiddo."

"Hey, as soon as my name's cleared, I'll come back and visit." Seifer replied. "There's no better food in all of Gaia."

"You better believe it," Mama said, smiling. She turned to Quistis. "And I expect you to visit, too." She said as she embraced the blonde woman.

"I will." Quistis replied.

Suddenly, they heard someone pounding on the door.

"Stay here." Mama said. She made her way slowly to the front room. A few angry citizens stood glaring at her from the outside. Their snarling expressions were reminiscent of ravenous beasts.

"...Shit... That's the only way out..." Said Seifer as he started to pace around the room.

"Don't give up just yet," Replied Quistis. She gazed around the room, looking for anything that might help them. And then she saw it.

Meanwhile, Mama had opened the door and was attempting to communicate with the surprise ruffians. "Now calm down, gentlemen. What would give you the idea that Seifer Almasy would be here? I don't have enough time to cook for my patrons _and_ house criminals, now do I?"

"We know he's here! Either you give him up now, or we'll search the place... _our_ way..." One of the men replied, tapping an axe against his boot.

"What's all the racket out there?" Cried a high, raspy voice from the back room.

"Huh...?" Remarked the crowd in unison.

Mama turned around slowly and her eyes went wide with surprise. There was Quistis... and what appeared to be an elderly woman draped in one of her dark table cloths, folded to resemble a nun's habit. The "nun" hobbled towards the group, using Quistis's arm to steady herself.

"Don't you know it's a sin to falsely accuse thy neighbors?! You'll all _rot_ in _hell_ for this! ...Unless you repent! When was the last time you set foot in a church?!" Cried the "nun."

One of the men began to snicker, only to be whacked by his comrade. "Shhh... You snickered at a nun. You'll burn for sure, now..."

"Uh.... I... I was just on my way to church, Sister! I promise I was!" Said another. He dashed out the door and down the street.

"I-I don't wanna burn in hell!" Cried the man who had snickered.

"I shall heal you, my child." Replied the "nun." "She" smacked him on the forehead, causing him to fall backwards. "Behold! You are forgiven! Now get out of here and pray for mercy!"

"Y-yes ma'am – uh... Sister!" He and the rest of the citizens bolted for the church.

Mama fought back her laughter until she was sure the others were far enough away. "I never thought I'd have a use for that old tablecloth. It's a good thing I decided to keep it."

"It really brings out your eyes," said Quistis with a smirk.

Seifer rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, well as much as I _love_ reveling in my new look, I think we'd better get going."

Quistis glanced down at her watch and gasped. "We've only got six minutes to get to the train station!"

"We'll never make it! It's on the other side of town!" Cried Seifer.

"Oh yes you will. C'mon! We'll take Ol' Betsy." Mama ushered Quistis and Seifer outside and around the building. She hurriedly pulled off a sheet, revealing an old, silver car. "Get in!" The two did as they were told, and after a little forceful coaxing, the engine turned over.

Soon, the silver car was speeding down the street, sending its passengers bouncing up and down in their seats. Seifer held onto the dark tablecloth for dear life. They swerved this way and that, and finally made it to the station.

Seifer and Quistis leaped from the car, waving as they sprinted for the ticket office. With less than a minute to spare, they got their tickets checked and boarded the train. Both were gasping for air. They managed to hobble to their seats and hoisted themselves up to see out the window.

Outside, Mama was waving to them. They continued to wave back until the train had pulled completely out of the station and Mama had disappeared into the distance.

_Thanks, Mom._ Thought Seifer as he watched her figure fade. Then he turned to Quistis. "I can't believe we actually pulled that off..." He laughed.

"We're not out of the clear yet," Quistis reminded him. "Keep that tablecloth on." A twisted grin spread across her face. "That's one habit you don't want to break." She snickered at her joke.

Seifer raised an eyebrow. "... You really are a dork, Trepe." He replied with a sigh.

"...Leave me alone... I need more coffee..." She said, rubbing her temples.

"Take a nap." Suggested Seifer as he adjusted the back of his seat and pulled the tablecloth over his face. "It'll take awhile to get there anyway..."

Quistis yawned. "Alright..." Before long, she drifted off to sleep...

...and began to dream...

-Quistis's Dream-

Quistis was running so fast she thought her heart would burst. She kept her eyes fixed straight ahead. She didn't know exactly why, but she was too afraid to look behind her. She darted in and out of foggy alleys and the tangled branches of mysteriously appearing and disappearing trees. Finally, a whole grove sprang up before her and she had nowhere else to turn... except behind her.

She slowly turned and was surprised to find her own reflection staring back at her. Before her was a long mirror. She stepped closer to it. As she looked, she saw her reflection turn ghostly pale. Meanwhile, all around her, her friends were dancing and glowing with a rosy light. They skipped closer and closer to her, until they passed right through her. She blinked a few times, and suddenly, she saw ice start to form around her feet and traveled along the rest of her body.

Then, her reflection spoke. "Nothing changes."

Quistis shook her head. "That's not true."

Her reflection smiled faintly. "Of course it is. Your life will always be like this." Then her eyes narrowed. "You should just accept it."

Quistis reached for Save the Queen, but it was missing. She looked up and noticed her reflection holding it triumphantly in front of her.

"Believe, child. This is your fate." She stared deep into Quistis's eyes.

"Tch... I was under the impression that we choose our own destinies." Said a deep voice behind her.

Quistis turned around, but only saw the thick mass of trees. "Where...?"

"Behind the mirror." The voice replied. "Do you trust me?"

Upon those words, the mirror in front of her grew larger and morphed into various shapes, distorting the images inside. The wind picked up around Quistis, sending leaves and twigs swirling around her. She shielded her face from them and squinted at the mirror.

"Trust me..." The voice echoed.

"Face your destiny!" Her reflection cried, glaring at Quistis with blazing red eyes.

"I will!" Quistis cried. She looked to her side and Save the Queen materialized. She detached it and whirled it through the air. Save the Queen's tip came crashing down against the glass. She struck over and over, using all her strength to break through the tough glass face. She finally succeeded in making a whole in the top of the long panel.

A hand pried away at some of the loose pieces of glass surrounding it and reached out. "Give me your hand!" The voice commanded.

"You can't escape from your fate!" Her reflection boomed.

"Quickly!" The voice pleaded. "I can't lose you again!"

"I won't let you go..." Quistis's reflection began to glow bright red. A high pitched noise filled the air as her hands reached through the surface of the glass towards Quistis. Above her reflection, the other hand reached out to her.

"Grab my hand!" The deep voice cried again. "I won't let you fall!"

"Do you dare?..." Her reflection grinned coldly at her.

Quistis's heartbeat was racing. She closed her eyes and ran forward. With her right hand, she slashed at her reflection's icy grasp with Save the Queen, and with the other she reached up, hoping she would make it.

"I've got you! Hold on!"

And she did.

When Quistis opened her eyes, she found two arms encircling her tightly. Her own arms were wrapped around a muscular torso. She closed her eyes again and her breathing began to slow.

"You're safe." The voice whispered softly.

-In the real world...-

Seifer cracked a smile as he watched Quistis breathing softly. He had woken with a start when he heard the blonde woman begin to whimper softly. When he had noticed her face was contorting with pain, he had reached over and took hold of her hand. She in turn had surprised him by wrapping her arms around him. Instantly, her face had regained its peaceful glow and a faint smile curled against her lips.

Seifer brushed a few loose golden strands away from Quistis's eyes. _Hyne, she's beautiful._

Just then he looked up and noticed two young children looking at him.

"It's a sin to stare, young whippersnappers!" He cried in a high pitched voice. The children shrieked and ran back to their seats.

"...Mmm?" Quistis murmured as she shifted slightly.

"Shhh..." He whispered close to her ear. She snuggled into him and drifted back to sleep.


	8. Reunion

Author's Note:

WHEW! This one took a lil' while to write. I hope it turned out okay. I didn't get a chance to have my beta reader look it over. But... anyway... ENJOY!

_Final Fantasy _does not belong to me... yadda yadda... etc. etc.

And much love to my spiffy reviewers! I heart you all!

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Reunion**

It had only been a half an hour since the train had set out for Balamb, but it felt like much longer to Seifer. He hated to admit it, but he was nervous. Quisits seemed to believe that everyone would welcome him with open arms, but he just couldn't picture it... Another kind of "arms" to greet him... _that_ he could picture easily. Then again, he wouldn't expect anything less from specially trained SeeD. He hadn't been pardoned just yet.

Well, except by one person.

Seifer looked down at Quistis, who still had her arms wrapped around him. _I could definitely get used to this..._ He thought with a smirk. But a frown soon took its place. _Hmph... I'm _all _she needs. It's bad enough she's got all those Treppies following her around. Add me and she'd be the ring leader of her own freakish side show. _Quistis shifted a little and tightened her grip on Seifer. _Maybe she wouldn't mind being ring leader... She does already have the whip heh... _He mentally kicked himself. _Maybe I should just go back to sleep before I come up with any more bright ideas._ He adjusted the tablecloth once more and closed his eyes.

A few minutes later, Quistis began to wake up. She yawned slightly, but completely froze when she realized her "pillow" was moving... and smelled slightly of cologne. Quistis cracked an eye open and confirmed her suspicions. _...How long have I been like this...?_ She carefully, slowly loosened her grip on the sleeping man and sat back in her seat. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks.

She cautiously looked over again. _He's asleep... Maybe he didn't notice..._ _Hyne, he smells good... _She mentally slapped herself. _What the... Quistis! Get a hold of yourself! He's your student for Hyne's sake! ...Well... former student actually... But that's still wrong! ...Isn't it? ...He _is_ my age, though, so... Hmph... Who'm I kidding? When he shows up at Balamb I'm sure every girl will just flock to him. I can't fool myself. I'm not like those magazine girls. No matter what clothes I wear or how much I try to change, I'll still just be boring, old Instructor Trepe. _She glanced back at Seifer's sleeping form. _Maybe I'll get lucky and the train will run out of fuel or something. _She slipped her arms back around his waist and hugged him tight. _I don't want to go back yet._

Unconsciously, Seifer slid his arm around Quistis and pulled her closer. It made for a rather awkward scene – a nun with suspiciously masculine hands being literally glomped by a tall, blonde woman. Luckily, no one noticed the two, except for...

"...Hey... That's kinda weird, ya know?"

"AFFIRMATIVE."

-Meanwhile...-

Squall was pacing back and forth in his den. He no longer felt itchy and wasn't contagious anymore, so he was back to wearing his normal outfit. He knew very well that if a certain person hadn't been there to help take care of him, he would have been an absolute mess. However, he didn't know exactly how he should thank her.

At first he thought about getting her a necklace...

But then he realized there was only one necklace Rinoa ever wore. ...That and he really didn't know too much about buying jewelry in general, so he decided to skip that category altogether.

Then he thought about getting her some perfume or lotion...

But he couldn't really remember the names of any of her favorites. They were all named after some sort of flower, but that's all he knew. And then he remembered the time he had actually accompanied Rinoa in one of her favorite lotion shops... and had nearly died from being overloaded by spicy, tropical, flowery smells impacting him at first sniff. The thought of entering that place again sent shivers down his spine and he decided to move on.

He didn't even want to _think_ about clothes or shoes... Rinoa had her own method for that kind of shopping and although she'd explained it to him, Squall still never really understood. There were certain types of jeans that only went with certain kinds of shirts and the shoes could only be worn with a specific type of sock... and... it proved to be just too painful to decipher.

Squall sighed as he flopped down on his couch. _There's got to be SOMETHING I can do... _He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples with one hand.

Suddenly, he stopped and slowly stood up. A grin spread across his face and he bolted out of his room and down the hall, cheering in his head. _YES! WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THIS BEFORE! IT'S PERFECT!_ _I AM A GENIOUS! IF PEOPLE EVER TALK ABOUT ME IN THE PAST TENSE, THEY'LL SAY, "SQUALL WAS A GENIOUS!"...No... I still don't want to be talked about in the past tense... Whatever... I'm still a genious..._

-Back on the train...-

A tall, muscular man and a shorter woman were still watching the two sleeping figures from nearby.

"Do you think that's that one instructor? Ya know, Instructor Trepe?" The man asked his silver-haired companion.

"POSSIBLY." She replied with a simple shrug.

The two crept to the next closest vacant seat.

"CLOSER." Said the woman, and the man next to her nodded. They slowly moved forward, until they were only one seat away from being across the isle from them.

"I still can't tell, ya know?" The man whispered.

"RIDICULOUS." The woman replied shaking her head.

"You're right. They're sleeping anyway, ya know? They won't see us..." With that, the two of them tip toed over to the sleeping twosome. Sure enough, they easily recognized Quistis's familiar updo.

The woman gently tapped her on the shoulder. Quistis stirred a little, which caused Seifer to stir a little.

"Nnhhh... Five more minutes..." Seifer mumbled.

The burly man and silver-haired woman stared at each other in surprise. They would know that voice anywhere.

"FOUND!" Cried the woman excitedly.

Quistis and Seifer's eyelids shot open and they sat straight up. Both of them stared wide-eyed at the two people looking down at them.

"...Fujin? Rajin?" Quistis asked, dumbfounded.

"Nice ta see ya, Instructor." Rajin replied with a nod.

-Back in Balamb...-

"Well, Squall, I must say I'm a little surprised at your request." Matron said smiling. "What's the occasion?"

"It's for Rinoa." Squall replied. "I want to surprise her."

"Ahh..." Matron nodded. "Well, I think she'll be very surprised. We'll need a few things before we get started." She ripped off a sheet of paper from a nearby notepad and began to write a list of items. "These should all be easy to find. When you've got everything, meet me back here and we'll get started."

"Thank you, Matron." He bowed to her, then left for the parking lot.

-Meanwhile...-

After quickly moving to an unoccupied section of the train, Quistis and Seifer had filled Fujin and Rajin in on everything they had missed out on. The two had simply listened and nodded, never looking the least bit surprised or showing much emotion at all.

That is, until Seifer finished talking...

"Oh man, _YOU_ of all people, a nun?! That's hilarious, ya know?" Rajin laughed.

"UNBELIEVEABLE." Fujin agreed.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want, guys," Seifer replied. "But at least I'm still in one piece." He smiled. "It's good to see you guys again."

"Yeah. It's nice to have the Disciplinary Committee together again, ya know?" Rajin agreed.

"We missed you." Fujin said quietly. She was immediately met by three surprised looks. The silver-haired woman rarely spoke in long sentences, and for Fujin, three words was a mouthful. "HAPPY." Fujin replied giving Seifer a firm pat on the back.

"So, uh, you're really going back?" Rajin asked.

Seifer nodded. "Yeah... Weird, huh?" A smirk slowly spread across his face. "Wouldn't want Puberty Boy to miss me forever, right?"

"I'd love to see the look on his face, ya know?" Rajin snickered.

"PRICELESS." Fujin agreed.

"Come with us." Quistis replied. "There's plenty of vacant rooms. I'm sure everyone would be glad to see you again."

Rajin scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know... ya know? I'm sure no one has really missed us, ya know."

"Aw, c'mon, guys. If only for the moment we surprise the shit outta Leonhart."

"Heh, you can count me in." Rajin replied.

"DITTO." Agreed Fujin with a nod.

-Meanwhile...-

Squall walked up and down the isles of Balamb's neighborhood supermarket. Earlier, the whole prospect of making something to show his appreciation for Rinoa's help had seemed like a fantastic idea. Now, however, Squall was beginning to seriously doubt it. He now found himself staring blankly in front of a massive supply of eggs.

..._Eggs have grades?... But... they're all eggs... so..._ He frowned at the variety spread out before him. He picked up a liquid egg substitute and gave it a scrutinizing glare. _What the hell is _this _supposed to be? _The slightly frustrated brunette placed the container back on the shelf and decided to look at a different carton. Matron had warned him to check the container to make sure if any eggs were cracked. Upon inspection of the eggs, however, he became slightly more confused. _Some are brown... That's weird... Oh, I know. Those came from brown chickens... I think... Maybe I should've asked Matron to be more specific. _He scowled to himself. _Tch, I can figure this out. These eggs are fine. _He placed them in the cart and snorted at the egg shelf as he made his way to the next ingredient.

_Okay... Now I need sugar..._ He glanced up from the list and took notice of the various kinds of sugar stacked on a few shelves. _...Crap..._

Squall let out a heavy sigh. When he was younger, he had assisted Matron in the kitchen many times. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember anything except being excited to pour the ingredients in. _I'll remember... I just need to think for a minute..._

"Uhmmm... Excuse me, Mister Squall?" A nasally voice broke the brunette from his thoughts. Squall slowly turned around to find a shorter blonde man with deep blue eyes staring up at him nervously. He wrung his hands as he spoke. "Uhmmm... D-do... Do you know i-if Quist- I mean... if Instructor Trepe will be coming home any time soon?"

..._Geez... They keep multiplying..._ Thought Squall. This Trepie seemed harmless enough, though, so he decided to be helpful.

"No clue." Squall replied with a small shrug.

The shorter man's face fell. "It's been so long... I hope nothing's happened to her..." He replied dejectedly.

Squall raised an eyebrow. "It's only been a few days."

The man clasped his hand to his heart. "But a day without Instructor Trepe is like a day without sunshine. It's like a day without hearing the birds singing or feeling the wind against your face. I NEED SUNSHINE TO LIVE!"

Squall was officially weirded out now. With one swift movement, he grabbed a box of sugar and dashed out of the isle...

...with the Trepie following close behind. "WAIT MISTER SQUALL! PLEASE!"

-A little while later...-

The train hissed as it let off steam and pulled into the Balamb station. Quistis's heart missed a beat when it completely stopped.

_We're here..._

She turned to Seifer, who was staring out the window. She could just make out the anxious look on his face from his reflection. But then the reflection's eyes caught sight of her own and tossed her a quick smirk. Quistis smiled as she offered her arm to Seifer. "Ready, Sister?"

"Yes, m'dear. Thank you." He replied in a raspy, high-pitched voice. The two of them had to fight back the snickers rising in their throats.

"CREEPY..." Fujin said, looking up at Rajin.

"Seriously, ya know?" Rajin replied as he raised an eyebrow at the odd couple in front of him.

The four made their way off of the train and towards a nearby shuttle headed for Balamb Garden.

-At the same time...-

Squall's eyes darted around nervously. He had somehow managed to lose the frantic Trepie, pay for his groceries, and make it outside in one piece. Up ahead, he spotted a shuttle headed for Balamb Garden. He decided it would be much better to take it than attempt to walk back with an armload of bags.

Cautiously, he stepped into the shuttle and glanced around. There were only a few Balamb students and none of them seemed very interested in Squall's approach. He let out a small sigh of relief and took a seat in the back of the bus, placing the bags on either side of him.

However, his relief would not last long...

"Oh, _there_ you are, Mister Squall!"

..._Hyne must really hate me... _Squall hid his head in his hands. _Maybe there's still time to walk instead..._

Just then, the shuttle driver closed the door and the miniature bus began to make its way toward the garden.

"Hey, Mister Squall? Can you tell me more about Instructor Trepe? What's her favorite food? What's her favorite color? Does she prefer taller or shorter men? Has she _ever_ worn her hair down? What..."

_Shoot me shoot me shoot me shoot me..._

-Meanwhile...-

Matron assembled a group of utensils, bowls, and pans on her kitchen counter.

Hearing the clatter, Cid walked in and scratched his head at the various objects. "What's this all about?"

"Oh, hello, Dear. I'm giving a cooking lesson this afternoon." She replied with a smile.

"Oh... Do you need any assistance?" Cid asked eagerly. "Possibly someone to help add the ingredients?" He added hopefully.

Matron smiled. "Thank you, Dear, but I'll let Squall handle that. Next time, though."

-A moment later...-

Squall bolted through the shuttle doors and sprinted for Matron and Cid's quarters. By some miracle, he was able to weave in and out of the mass of students while still regaining his balance and control of heavy bags of groceries in his hands. Behind him, he could hear the Trepie's muffled pleas.

"Mister Squall! Wait! I still have more questions! (Oops, excuse me, pardon me.) MISTER SQUALL! ...Rats..."

Squall grinned triumphantly as he entered the elevator. _Safe at last._ A moment later, the elevator doors opened and he walked out and down the hall to a big pair of oak doors at the end. He knocked a couple times and soon the door opened.

"Hello, Squall." Matron greeted him. "Come right in."

-Meanwhile...-

The students of Balamb suddenly went into a fit of quiet whispers. Quistis Trepe had returned and had some rather interesting souvenirs with her. Some of the students recognized Fujin and Rajin, but they were more curious about the nun that hobbled along at Quistis's right.

"Let's go talk to Cid and Matron first." Quistis whispered.

The nun remained silent and nodded stiffly in reply.

The four made their way down one of the long concrete pathways and entered the elevator at the end.

"NERVOUS?" Fujin asked her tableclothed friend.

"...Nah..." Seifer replied trying to sound confident. "Balamb's not the same without me. I'm doing them a favor, really."

Quistis smirked. "Oh really...?" She poked his side playfully.

"You'll see." Seifer replied, grinning at her.

"...They're in their own little world, ya know?" Rajin whispered to the silver-haired woman beside him.

Fujin nodded. "AFFIRMATIVE."

A moment later, the elevator doors opened and the four stepped out and made their way down the hall. Quistis knocked on the large, wooden doors.

"Just a minute!" Matron's voice called from the other side. "You continue, Squall. I'll be right back.

Squall picked two eggs out of the carton and looked them over. _Should I use two white ones? Or maybe a white and a brown? Or what about two brown ones?_

The sound of footsteps from the other side became steadily louder, and soon the door lock clicked open.

"Oh, Quisty!" Matron cried. "Welcome back, m'dear! Come in, come in!" The elder woman ushered the four into the living room and closed the door behind her. "Well now, who have you brought with you?"

Quistis smiled. "Someone who needs to be forgiven."

_I wonder if the brown ones taste better than the white ones... Hmmm..._

Suddenly, Squall heard a gasp from the other room. He jogged to the doorway and immediately dropped the eggs he held in either hand. "SEIFER?!"

"Good to see you again, Squall." The tall blonde replied with a smirk. He walked closer to the dumbfounded brunette. "I'd shake your hand but uh..." He said motioning to the residue egg on the shorter man's palms. His smirk widened as he continued. "Y'know, Leonhart, you didn't have to make me a cake. I'm touched."

_...Hyne, no... Not HIM!_


	9. Assimilation

Author's Note:

Thank you SO much for your lovely reviews!

sulou: Haha... I might try writing angsty stuff later on. XD

Beautiful Songstress: Awww, thank you so much! I shall try to update soon.

Lionhearted316: Thank you!!! Quiefers and SquallxSeifer stories are some of my all time favorites. Yay! I'm glad the characterization is halfway decent hehe.

Hyperangel08: Thanks!! Hehe... Squall really doesn't seem like the cooking type does he... muahaha...

And as always, thank you, Angry Angel, for your fun fun comments!!! XD

...And just in case no one advised you... I. do. not. own. _FINAL FANTASY_! Doesn't that just completely suck?! XD

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Assimilation**

Matron embraced Seifer tightly. "It's so good to have you home."

Seifer returned the hug. Part of him still knew that this was once the woman who had been possessed by the sorceress, Ultimecia, but the other part of him still remembered her as the woman who had helped to raise him, and that part easily overruled the other.

"Matron," Quistis began. "I'd like to propose an emergency meeting of the Balamb counsel. I think this matter has been postponed much too long, wouldn't you agree?"

Matron released Seifer and nodded in reply. "You're absolutely right. I'll call Cid right away. I'm sure he can gather everyone in less than half an hour. In the meantime, make yourselves comfortable." She eagerly rushed to the phone in the adjacent room.

Fujin and Rajin settled themselves on the couch and decided to explore Balamb's cable selections. Fujin quickly grabbed the remote and began to flip through the channels.

"BORING. BORING. LAME. PERFECT." She stopped at channel 56 and smiled triumphantly.

"What's this show? I don't think I've ever seen it, ya know?" Rajin asked, scratching his head.

"_IRON CHEF_." Fujin replied. "WATCH." She commanded. Soon she and Rajin were glued to the screen while the French cooking expert and a challenger faced off in a timed cooking battle.

This of course gave Seifer an idea. "Hey, Chef Leonhart. You need any help with my welcome home cake?" Seifer's trademark smirk was firmly in place, and it made Squall's stomach turn.

"I can manage." He replied icily. "And it's not for you."

"Aww... I'm crushed, Squall." Seifer replied, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. "Does this mean you don't love me anymore?" Squall gave him one of his best deathglares before returning to the kitchen, which only egged Seifer on. "Awww, c'mon! I was just about to tell you about my romantic dream!"

Quistis sighed. _Gee... This seems oddly familiar..._

Squall remained silent. He eyed the remaining eggs. _I wonder how many I could shove up his nose..._

Seifer just shrugged. "Fine, then. I'll just share my romantic dream with someone else." He ambled over to Quistis, dramatically grasping his hand to his chest. "I'm devastated!"

A smirk spread across Quistis's face as she crossed her arms. "I was thinking something more along the lines of 'disturbed,' but okay, 'devastated' works, too."

Seifer stared deep into her cerulean eyes and Quistis felt almost lost in his emerald stare for a moment. "Just for that, I won't share my romantic dream with you, either." He said softly with a playful smirk.

Quistis's heartbeat momentarily quickened and she could feel her face growing warmer. She blinked a couple of times, snapping herself back to reality. "Tch, how romantic could one of _your_ dreams be?" She replied sarcastically.

"Heh... Wouldn't you like to know..." He replied whispering close to her ear. His breath tickled the side of her neck and she shivered, although nearly unnoticeably. Seifer, of course, took note of this. He grinned inwardly. _Iiiinteresting..._ While his curiosity urged him to test this newfound information further, he decided against it for the time being. After all, he still had barely begun to reunite himself with his lifelong rival.

"I think I'll go check on Mister Easybake." He announced quietly as he turned towards the kitchen. Quistis just shook her head. Fujin and Rajin were so immersed they never even heard him. Seifer snuck up to the doorway and watched as Squall glanced from one ingredient to another. The taller man surmised that the brunette had absolutely no idea what to do. The would-be cake maker simply stared at the small bags of sugar and flour before him.

A twisted grin curled on Seifer face. "Don't eat us!" Seifer chirped. For a moment, Squall twitched with slight surprise, then he turned and glared at the intruder, eyes flaming. "I see you're making progress." Seifer quipped. "Little advice, though. Generally speaking, staring at the ingredients won't turn them into cake. You actually have to get your dainty little hands dirty."

"Since when did you become the next Betty Crocker?" Squall replied cooly.

"Since I studied under Dollet's wise and benevolent goddess of cooking," Seifer replied matter-of-factly. "Now scoot over, and let a professional show you how it's done."

Ordinarily, Squall would have objected to this idea, but since he was utterly lost and still wanted to surprise Rinoa, he decided to let his blonde-haired rival help.

"Now first of all, crack the eggs in a separate bowl and only put one in at a time. That way, if you get a bad one, it won't ruin the whole cake." Seifer demonstrated by taking one of the eggs and tapping it gently on the side of a small bowl. He gently cracked the egg with one hand and easily removed its contents into the bowl. Then he tossed the empty shells into a nearby bag. "All right... Have at it." He took another egg and handed it to the silent brunette.

Squall took the egg and followed the same routine. His movements were less graceful, but the result was still the same. He couldn't help but grin slightly at his success.

"Not bad." Seifer said.

Little did either of them know they were silently being watched from the other room.

"My boys are actually getting along! If only I knew where Cid put that camera..." Matron whispered.

"It could just be mass hallucination." Quistis replied.

"AFFIRMATIVE." Fujin said, nodding.

"It's like spotting Bigfoot, ya know?" Rajin added.

Just then, the phone rang, drawing everyone's attention.

"That should be Cid," Matron explained as she went to answer it.

Meanwhile, Seifer and Squall had turned and noticed their small audience.

"C'mon, guys," Seifer began. "I know we're irresistible, but really, must you stare? We're not meat, y'know." He turned to the shorter brunette beside him. "It's the curse of being cute, eh, Squallito?"

Squall just kept his eyes fixed on the eggs as he put them in with the rest of the ingredients in the mixing bowl. "...whatever." He mumbled.

"See? You embarrassed him." Seifer replied, shaking his head. Squall responded with a sideways glare. Seifer was thoroughly enjoying himself now. However, his comical mood was soon cut short.

Matron returned from the other room. "They've assembled. They're ready to hear your testimony." She said in a serious tone.

Seifer washed his hands and joined the others in the next room. "Well, I guess it's now or never." He threw a small glance towards Squall. "Wish me luck, Baker Boy."

Squall looked up for a moment and nodded solemnly. As much as Seifer drove him crazy sometimes, he didn't want to see him branded as a conscious murderer for the rest of his life. As much as he hated to admit it, part of him _had_ missed the unceasing banter between the two when the blonde ex-knight had disappeared. "Good luck."

"You'll be readmitted, ya know." Rajin added.

"DON'T WORRY." Fujin said, nodding.

Seifer was beginning to feel nervous. Sure, he had known that coming back to Balamb would entail a sentencing by the Balamb counsel, but the whole gravity of the situation hadn't really become clear in his mind until this moment. Their decision would decide whether he remained a criminal in the eyes of Gaia or would be allowed the chance to become a SeeD. After all of the hard times he had given them as well as other members of the garden, he wasn't entirely sure their decision would be a favorable one.

His quickening heartbeat stabilized a little when he felt a slender hand grasp his own. "I'll be right beside you." Quistis said softly. "Just as I should've been before." She looked into his eyes and could now see a glint of confidence meshing its way back into his verdant gaze.

Seifer gave her a small smile as he squeezed her hand. "Let's go."

With that, Matron, Quistis and Seifer made their way towards the assembly room.

As they walked, groups of people stopped and stared wide-eyed at the three. Seifer could hear their surprised whispers.

"Is that Seifer Almasy?"

"It is! It's him! Why is _he_ back?"

"What if he tries to kill us all?!"

"Tch, don't be stupid. Look, Instructor Trepe is with him. Maybe she captured him?"

Quistis glanced over and noticed Seifer's hardened expression. "Ignore them." She whispered and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. Seifer nodded slightly in reply.

Just up ahead, a massive group of Trepies was forming. Quistis groaned inwardly as she neared them.

"INSTRUCTOR TREPE! We're so glad you're back! Give that rogue a taste of your whip!"

Quistis fought back a smirk. _Heh... That sounds kinda dirty..._ She mentally slapped herself. _Quistis, you really are a dork._ She mentally slapped herself yet again. _When will you learn to stop talking to yourself in third person?_

Seifer had a different thought entirely. _Come see Quistis and her amazing side show of freaks! And don't miss the biggest freak of them all, Seifer Almasy!_

"INSTRUCTOR TREPE! Please be careful! Don't let him out of your sight for a moment! He might try to hurt you again! You shouldn't be standing so close to him, either! Why are you holding his hand? We don't think you should do that..."

By this time, a vein in the middle of Quistis's forehead was throbbing so violently, she could not stand it any longer. "WILL YOU ALL KINDLY SHUT UP?! THIS IS NONE OF YOUR CONCERN!" The Trepies stared at her with utter disbelief. "NOW GO FINISH YOUR HOMEWORK!" She ordered. The group at once dispersed in all directions. She sighed happily. "I've always wanted to do that." She said quietly.

Her happy mood quickly soured when she noticed a few female students eyeing Seifer. She listened intently to their whispers.

"Wow... Seifer's still hotter than ever."

"I don't care if he _is_ a murderer. Look at that body..."

_I called it..._ Quistis thought miserably. She glanced at Seifer out of the corner of her eye and noticed his eyes scanning the crowd. _He's probably taking note of his new possible girlfriends..._ She couldn't have been more wrong.

_Where'd those Trepies go? _Seifer thought as his eyes searched the horizon. _I want names and restraining orders! How dare they treat Quistis like that. They'd better be glad there's not a list anymore..._

The three continued on and a minute or so later, they arrived at their destination.

"Try to relax," Matron said as she knocked on the doors. "Don't let them scare you, either. They're just pompous old windbags." She added with a smile.

An hour passed. The counsel members had drudged up every account of Seifer's misbehavior they could possibly find. The cases ranged from a complaint of him tugging on a certain library girl's pigtail when he was first enrolled, to the most recent events under Ultimecia's guidance. Seifer groaned inwardly at the complaints Quistis herself had issued when she had first become his instructor.

_Damn, I was an idiot. _He mentally sulked to himself. _...I only did it so she'd notice me instead of that scrawny excuse for a- Hyne... _I _was the "Puberty Boy"... Gee, don't I feel smart..._

Quistis on the other hand was feeling kind of bad for issuing those complaints in the first place. _Nothing he did was really _that _bad... I shouldn't have overreacted..._ She stood up and raised a hand. "May I retract those?" She asked.

"No Miss Trepe, you may not. Please take a seat." One of the members replied.

Quistis reluctantly sat down while Seifer smiled at her. "Thanks for trying." He whispered. She nodded and smiled silently back.

Cid rose from his seat and addressed the assembly. "We will review the evidence and return with our decision." The rest of the members followed him into a small nearby room.

Meanwhile, Matron, Seifer and Quistis would have to wait patiently for their return.

Seifer turned and looked Quistis in the eyes. He could see them swirling with slight apprehension. "Quistis," he began softly. "Whatever happens, I just want you to know that I appreciate this. I don't think I would've ever done this on my own."

"I'm glad to help." Quistis replied. Seifer nodded stiffly in reply. Quistis hated to see him so distraught. She would have loved nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and protect him from anything that might try to take him away from her, but she knew that was completely out of the question. She gently intertwined her fingers with his.

Seifer smiled faintly at their hands. Although part of him was still rather nervous, another part of him would've loved nothing more than to grab her hands, trail gentle kisses up her arm and bury his head in the luscious-looking crook of her neck. He rubbed the side of her hand gently with his thumb and gazed anxiously at the closed doors of the small room.

_Please, Cid. _Matron thought as she clasped her hands to her heart. _Make them listen. Make them understand. You did it for me, I know you can do it again.  
_

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each one of them with their eyes fixed upon the small room. A little while later, the opening lock echoed across the room and the counsel members emerged. The three eyed Cid's face, but none of them could make out any emotion.

As soon as all of the members were seated, Cid cleared his throat and began to speak. "We have finally reached a decision."


	10. Fate

Author's Note:

Wheeee! I'm so happy people actually like this story! XD

Zalexiya: Thank you so much! Hehe, I was worried people would think they were OOC or something! X3

Beautiful Songstress: LOL... Your wish is my command.

Angry Angel: I seriously die everytime I read your comments on DA. Thaaankkk yyooouuu!!! XD Muahaha... and also... GO READ JEN'S STORIES, EVERYONE! They're so much fun to read!! X3

_Final Fantasy _doth not belongith to me... which suckiths royally.

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Fate**

Seifer's heart was racing in his chest. He had never wanted anything so badly as he did this last chance to prove himself as a good person. He listened intently. His eyes were frozen upon Cid's face, watching every movement he made with anxiety.

Cid continued speaking. "After reviewing these past reports and hearing Mr. Almasy's testimony, we cannot in good faith hold him responsible for his actions under Ultimecia's influence. Therefore, Mr. Almasy, you are hereby free of all charges of murder or other unrest held against you. We will shortly publish this verdict throughout Gaia."

Seifer couldn't breathe for a moment. Was it true? Had he really been forgiven? Was he really free?

Quistis's tight embrace brought him back to reality. "Thank Hyne!" She whispered.

"Furthermore," Cid continued. "Mr. Almasy will be given one more term's enrollment as a student. Upon the end of this term, if you have not gained status as a SeeD, you will be asked to leave. The counsel and I have decided to place you under Instructor Trepe's advisement."

Quistis's eyes widened at those words. _My student? But if he's my student...then...we can't..._

"Hah, just like old times!" Seifer whispered happily. His eyes were dancing with excitement.

"Oh, yeah! Right..." Quistis replied as she tried to dismiss her previous thoughts from her mind. _I said I would stay by his side. I'll keep my word. ...Even if it does mean I won't be able to have a relationship with him..._ Her heart sank.

"Congratulations, Mr. Almasy." Cid finished. "And now, if I may, I'd like to have a word with you in private."

"That's our cue," Quistis said, smiling faintly. "Uhmm... I'll see you later." She quickly got up from her seat and left the conference room, leaving Seifer a little stunned.

..._Hey... I thought that called for at least a little kiss or something... Tch, I'll never understand women..._

"Congratulations, Dear!" Matron said as she hugged him. "I'm so thrilled for you! I know you'll make a fine SeeD!" She happily blew a kiss to Cid before she, too, left the room.

_Now see that? _Seifer thought. _HE gets a kiss and he's not the one who just got pardoned! Here I am, a free man, AND Quisty's new student and... oooohhh... Damn, Seifer, are you really that slow? No wonder..._

-Meanwhile...-

Quistis wrapped her arms around herself as she walked to her favorite spot in Balamb Garden. It was eerily silent as she passed down a couple of hallways and rounded a corner. As she neared her destination, she could hear T-rexes roaring nearby, but even they seemed to heed Quistis's wish to be left alone.

The "Secret Place" was thankfully empty. Quistis walked over to the balcony railing and stared off into the horizon. The cool breeze danced through her golden hair. _I wonder what Cid and Seifer are talking about... I wish I hadn't left like that. _She thought with a frown. _His name is cleared. He doesn't have to fear for his life anymore. And he has another chance at becoming a SeeD. I have another chance to make sure he doesn't fail. I shouldn't even think of... myself..._ She sighed as she watched a few birds drift lazily through the air. _It just might've been nice to..._ She shook her head. _That's no longer an option. It's best not to even think of it anymore._

Suddenly, she could hear footsteps coming closer.

_I want to be alone..._ She thought to herself as she rested her head in her arms.

"There you are." A familiar voice said. Quistis slowly stood up and turned to face the newcomer.

"So," she began, trying to force a smile on her face. "How does it feel to be a free man again?"

Seifer nearly knocked her over as he raced to her and held her tight. "I think I'll get used to it." He said, smiling. He decided now would be the perfect time to test out his earlier findings. "I can't thank you enough." He whispered, warm breath nuzzling against Quistis's neck.

_Please don't'..._ She thought miserably. She pulled away from him a little and averted his gaze. "I didn't do much, really. Cid really deserves the most thanks."

Seifer frowned as he released her completely. "Something wrong?"

"Tch, of course not!" She replied a little more enthusiastically than she hoped. "What could possibly be wrong?"

"You tell me." He said softly as he stroked a stray piece of hair away from her cheek. Quistis immediately turned her head.

"Please don't." She forced out in a whisper.

"I don't bite, you know." He began softly. "And look, no claws," he said, holding out his hands.

Quistis laughed feebly. "I know... I just don't think that we..."

"It's another man, isn't it?" Seifer interrupted.

Quistis looked up, eyes full of surprise. "No, no!" She tried to interject. "It's not-"

"Uh huh," Seifer continued. "That's all right."

"But-"

"And here I was thinking it had something to do with the whole teacher-student relationship thing."

Quistis suddenly grew silent and Seifer knew he'd hit the nail on the head.

He shrugged and continued as he turned his back to Quistis...

...to keep her from seeing his ever widening grin.

"I was kind of concerned about that, myself, so I asked Cid about it and he said it didn't apply for people who had already become a couple before becoming teacher and student." He rested a hand on his hip. "So I told him you and I were already pretty much together and he said that wouldn't interfere with you teaching me." He slowly turned around, expecting her to rush happily into his arms.

"...You told him what?!" Quistis's face turned bright crimson in a matter of seconds.

_Again, not exactly the response I was hoping for._ Seifer sighed inwardly. He walked back up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Y'know, you're proving to be one of the most difficult women to love in the history of Gaia, Quistis Trepe."

Quistis froze and blinked a few times. "...What...?"

Seifer smirked playfully as he wrapped his arms around her and drew her close. "You heard what I said." He leaned closer to her ear. "I love you, Quistis."

"...Why?" Her voice was full of surprise and sincerity.

Seifer rolled his eyes teasingly. "Easy..." He whispered as he nuzzled her hair. He spoke in between trailing kisses along her neck, sending Quistis into soft giggles. "Because you're smart, and strong-willed, and compassionate, quick-thinking, drop dead gorgeous, and... you're delicious," He finished with a devilish grin. He looked deep into her sparkling, blue eyes.

"I love you, too, Seifer." Quistis replied, smiling brightly at him. She began to lean towards him, tilting her head.

Seifer followed suit, until their lips were only an inch away, and then he suddenly stopped. "Hey, wait. What about me?" He said with a playful grin. "...kidding..." His lips met hers and pressed together tightly. The kiss became steadily deeper, until they gently released for air. Then their lips softly embraced again.

Quistis gently pulled away, still running her fingers through Seifer's short hair. "I really should take vacations more often." She said, smiling.

"Not without me you don't." Seifer replied, gently rubbing her back. Suddenly, a playful smirk crept across his face. He reached up and grabbed Quistis's hairclip and tossed it over the side of the balcony. "Much better," he said as he leaned towards her again.

"Hey!" Quistis began to protest halfheartedly. She closed her eyes and met his lips again as he held her close with one hand and ran the other through her long, golden locks. They slowly pulled apart again and a smirk curled across Quistis's lips. "You know, this doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you."

"Tch, like I need the extra credit." Seifer replied. "_I_ actually read carefully, unlike someone I could name..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you had _carefully_ read your instructor's manual, you would have known that under section 41 H it states that instructors may not date _first_ year students. And I, my dear instructor, am obviously not a first year student." A satisfied grin spread across his face.

Quistis looked flabbergasted. "...What?! A-are you sure?!"

"See? I actually _do_ my homework."

Quistis just laughed and hugged him tighter. "I'm glad." _This is exactly what I wanted. _This _is what I was searching for. _

_To find peace at last._

-Some years later...-

"Look who's here! Oh my goodness... Just look at how much you've grown!"

A little girl with soft, blonde ringlets and bright emerald eyes leaped into the older woman's outstretched arms. "Nana!" She giggled as the woman swept her up. "Did I really grow? I thought I did! I told Cirrus, but he didn't believe me."

"Well, never you mind about that. I say you _did_ grow. So there's two against one." The little girl smiled triumphantly at the older woman. "Now, then. Where is your mommy and daddy?"

"They're coming." The little girl explained. "They're just slow." She added with a tiny smirk.

"Alexandria, wait for us!" Seifer cried, smiling. "Hi Mom!" He waved to the woman waiting on the front steps of the tiny restaurant.

"Hello my dear." Mama replied. "Where's Quisty?"

"She's coming. We've got some stragglers." He motioned behind him and soon four others came into view.

"You don't have to be nervous, Cirrus. Mama is one of the nicest people in the world." Quistis said as she walked beside two of her friends and their young son.

"Aunt Quistis is right, Dear. She's a really good cook, too."

The little dark haired boy gazed into his mother's mahogany eyes, his own light grayish blue ones sparkling with curiosity. "Better than Daddy?"

"Well..." The dark-haired woman began to reply.

"Hey..." Her husband cut in, smiling.

"Dad's still the best." The little boy replied, smiling at his light brunette father.

"Hey, Uncle Squall." Seifer called. "Hurry up, I got a ravenous beast over here and if she doesn't get some food pretty soon, she'd apt to go crazy! Isn't that right?" He grinned as he held his daughter in his arms.

"Right!" The little girl gave her most ferocious-sounding growl as she curled her hands in front of her like claws, causing her father to laugh at the cute spectacle.

Quistis smiled as her gaze met with her husband's. She never thought she could be this happy. And yet, here she was... with the life she had always dreamed of.

The happy ending she deserved.

The End


End file.
